[dba-Tech] VOIP / Vonage

John Bartow john at winhaven.net
Sat Jan 28 12:57:39 CST 2006


Steve,
Thanks for the info.

I deal with a few of his type too. I always feel like I'm walking into
museums or something. Huge houses with no one in them. Butte des Morts is
getting that way too.


-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Steve Erbach
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 12:16 PM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] VOIP / Vonage

John,

Janet has a client over there on Lake Winneconne that uses Vonage. 
He's a retired executive and has called me a couple of times to get it
working properly.

He tells me that overseas per minute rates with Vonage are astoundingly
low...for some countries as low as 2 cents a minute.  He calls overseas
frequently, so that's why he got the service.

This fellow uses an HP OfficeJet for his faxing.  That was the only
problematical thing as far as I could tell.  I don't know if he's using it
much since we could get it to send but receiving was funny...I think it was
because he didn't have a separate phone number for faxing.

His electronic setup for his equipment is a treat:  Laptop, USB keyboard and
mouse, USB hub, OfficeJet, two Vonage phones, 5-port phone jack, Linksys
RT31P2 router w/two phone ports, Linksys WRT54G wireless router, Netopia DSL
modem, and a phone line splitter for his local phone and the IP line.  My
diagram of his setup is a work of art.

Steve Erbach

On 1/27/06, John Bartow <john at winhaven.net> wrote:
> Thanks John, that's what I needed to hear!
>
> I'll definitely put you down as a referral. If there's anything I need 
> to know to do that please just send it to me at:
> john at winhaven.net
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John Colby
>
> It saves me a TON of money for regular phone, which I give some back 
> to them in the fax and 800 number.  It is $25+ for unlimited 
> local/long distance anywhere in the US and Canada.  Also very low 
> rates to places like Mexico and Ireland.  $25 for unlimited phone is 
> dirt cheap.  Of course you have to have high speed internet, but since 
> I have to have that anyway for my business, I don't count that as a 
> "phone" expense.  I talk to my clients for
> 1 hour regularly, 3 hours often.  At 10c / minute that is $6 / hour.  
> So it only takes a few hours to pay for the $25.  Plus we call family 
> all over the country and talk as long as we wish.
>
> It is better quality than Cellular.
>
> As a result of having Vonage, I have no real use for the "unlimited 
> middle of the night and weekend (what were those hours again)" cell 
> phone crapola, and so I switched my Cellular to Virgin Mobile, where I 
> am now paying less than $5 per month for cell phone - I don't use cell 
> a lot, just a "pay phone in my pocket" kind of thing.  My cell is "pay 
> as you go".  It costs me 25c / minute for the first 10 minutes a day, 
> then 10c / min after that.  It turns out for my usage patterns (I may 
> make / receive 1 call every few days) that is just incredibly cheap.  
> My wife is the same way.  Not the plan for a teenager however.
>
> So with Virgin Mobile my wife and I both have a cell, and it costs us 
> a minimum of $5 / month apiece ($15 every 90 days to keep the number
active).
> Not bad for "a pay phone in your pocket" - and it uses the Sprint 
> network so the quality isn't too bad.  I paid $20 apiece for the 
> phones, delivered to my door.  Basic but with everything I need.  No 
> camera or all that happy HS but who cares.  It's a cell phone.
>
> I used to pay ATT $36 / month for ONE cell phone, and the "privilege" 
> of a two year contract, early termination fees, piss poor customer 
> service, and my wife and I were always having a discussion over who 
> would carry it when we went out.
>
> So if a client calls on my cell, then it costs me more, but then my 
> client pays a high enough hourly rate that the cost of the call is 
> buried in the noise of expenses.  Plus, they really don't call me on 
> my cell all that much since I work from home most of the time, so they get
me on my Vonage line.
>
> So there you have it.  I do like Vonage, and I do like Virgin Mobile.  
> And if you decide to use either, let me know as I can get a referral 
> "bonus" if you give either company a code that says I sent you.
>
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